Rainbow Girl & the Mud Boy
feature / 102pp / superhero / family adventure / dramatic comedy
*** Also now a middle grade novel ***
A disillusioned girl searching for her missing environmental activist parents discovers incredible powers that can change the world, but first, she must save a deeply troubled little boy with destructive powers of his own.
“It’s a fun and inventive story, and I like how you’ve used the format of a kid’s superhero movie to explore themes of the environment and social justice, while Rosy and Max are sweet, likeable characters whom it’s easy to invest in.”
“Roald Dahl meets Marvel”
The pitch
A family adventure movie with environmental, social justice and mental health themes. Featuring female superheroes, rainbows, slime, a lot of mud, and a unicorn! Fantastical, but very much rooted in the real world, just with some extraordinary enhancements.
Set in modern-day New York, this is a story about Rosy, a 10-year-old schoolgirl - placed in foster care when her environmental activist parents went missing at a protest in the Amazon - who makes then sells colorful slime to her classmates. When a magical ingredient gives her incredible powers her courage is tested as she becomes painfully aware of the precarious state of the world today… At the same time, her classmate Max, a deeply troubled boy with a penchant for mud, discovers destructive powers of his own; as his world collapses around him, consumed with loneliness, sadness and thoughts of vengeance, he begins to spiral out of control.
Like a Marvel or DC movie but switch the fighting, explosions and aggression for transformative rainbows, marauding mud jets and the unpredictability of children!
‘Shazam!’ meets ‘Joker’ on the schoolyard.
A feature screenplay and now a middle grade novel—available to read now.
An ode to family adventure movies of the 80s/90s such as The Goonies, Home Alone and E.T. This film will appeal to kids of all ages, and adults - particularly the ones who want some fun escapism with a strong dose of heartfelt humanity and zany comedy.
Inspired by the amazing Greta Thunberg and the impact she’s had in mobilising young people around the world, by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rare shining light in politics, but mostly by a super cool 9-year-old slime entrepreneur I met in Brooklyn, and by my mud-loving nephews and niece!
A much earlier draft of the script was an Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Quarterfinalist 2020.
the whirling rainbow prophecy
“There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface; the great trees that perished will return. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the Earth.”
commercial potential
Though not based on existing IP, there is a huge proven audience to tap into…
Slime content generated 25.4 billion views on YouTube in 2018. That’s 1.7M online slime video uploads from 800K different YouTube channels. The top two slime influencers saw an equal male / female split, many of their views came from those in the 25-34 age group. Kids love it, but there’s also a growing number of adults who find slime extremely fun, creative, and calming. Slime is a trend that keeps coming back around.
Disney and Paramount own the most successful corporate YouTube slime channels. Nickelodeon have a long history with slime and now sell a range of branded slime products.
Google states that “slime” was 2017’s biggest DIY trend, causing a national shortage of glue in the U.S. According to trend forecasters (New York Magazine Oct 2019), slime is still one of the most popular toys around. Which explains the 2019 opening of the Sloomoo Institute, a successful slime exhibition in New York that attracted as many excited adults as it did children, including the wonderful Drew Barrymore!
merchandising / commercial opportunities
Kids love slime, mud and unicorns!
Slime - Nickelodeon already sells slime products, but if I may be so bold, they lack a good branding story.
Mud toys - Mud kitchens are very popular, so are the utensils that go with them.
Onesies - Rainbow Girl’s costume is a rainbow colored onesie with ears and a unicorn horn. Harmony’s is dark blue with stars and musical notes. They wear gold star-shaped glasses and mirrored shades.
Unicorns - Iris the unicorn is equally lovable in her form as a downcast brown mule, or in all of her splendor as the Goddess of Rainbows.
Art / Painting Toys - Rainbow Girl paints giant murals on buildings, bridges etc.
Rides - The immersive rainbow room / flying over New York on Iris the unicorn.
“I am NOT mad! I, am MUD!!”
sequels, spin-offs and supporting content
My vision is to create a Rainbow Warriors ‘mini-verse’.
The story is left wide open for a sequel, and also sets up opportunities for spin-offs with the supporting cast. For example, Rainbow Girl’s sidekick Harmony is given special powers that are teased towards the end of the film - when she plays music on her Keytar (a guitar with keys), a transformative soundwave blasts out.
There’s a potential origin story for Ellie and Nelly, the eccentric couple who run the Rainbow Warriors Emporium of Enchantments - the place Rosy acquires the unicorn tears that are the source of her powers. Ellie and Nelly were environmental activists who became disenchanted until Rosy/Rainbow Girl gave them renewed hope.
It’s also set up to have supporting documentary-style content around the themes of the environment and mental health. Rosy’s foster sister Mia is a film student who makes documentaries throughout the film.
environment & politics
Millions of children around the world have been taking part in a global climate change protests in recent years. Protestors from 150+ countries have taken part in demonstrations aiming to put pressure on governments and decision-makers to do more about climate issues. Children are more politicised and environmentally aware than ever before. They are the ones who can repair the damage.
